A Personal Commentary on “Crystal Structure of Solid Solutions”*

Excerpt

Since matter consists of atoms, any basic understanding of the properties and behaviors of materials ultimately progresses with the advancement of techniques that can reveal how atoms fit into structures and how they interact. If more than one atomic species are involved, as in a solid solution, then the questions to be answered grow in complexity. The studies involving X-ray diffraction by crystals, pioneered by the Braggs in England, Westgren and associates in Sweden, and others in Europe, in the early years of the last century, opened up a whole new area of research on alloys. Bain’s paper published in 1923 (from a young “metallurgical engineer,” working in the Cleveland wire division of General Electric), represents a striking example of how seminal contributions to the literature on materials often arise from the combination of a new technique coupled with inquisitive and imaginative thinking. To understand crystals in even greater detail, X-rays were soon to be assisted by electron diffraction and electron microscopy, then by atom probes, magnetic measurements, other physical properties, etc., and ultimately, also computer modeling. However, in 1922, Bain’s research tool was what was then referred to as an “X-ray spectrometer” with limited resolution.

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